The eight most powerful leaders of the industrialised world prepared yesterday to chart a course for the Internet age but were upstaged by the drama in the Middle East peace talks.
The three-day Group of Eight (G8) summit starting today in Japan's Okinawa island runs the gamut of world affairs, from the Internet revolution to AIDS and preventing global conflict.
President Clinton's attendance was left hanging until the last second by talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
The G8 is likely to make a statement of support for the Middle East talks, to be shaped by a report from Mr Clinton, a Japanese government official said. In Okinawa, scene of a second World War battle, the US leader will be fighting on multiple fronts during the weekend.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia arrives today for his G8 debut, ready to tackle Mr Clinton over the threat to disarmament posed by a US scheme for an anti-ballistic missile shield. In a pre-summit Asian tour, Mr Putin won backing from Chinese President Mr Jiang Zemin and North Korean supreme leader Mr Kim Jong-Il against the national missile defence (NMD) scheme. He secured a pledge from Pyongyang to abandon missile development in return for transfer of space rocket technology.
Washington, which cites the threat of a ballistic missile attack from "rogue states" including North Korea as a reason for the NMD, has so far reacted coolly to Mr Putin's breakthrough.
Chancellor Gerhard Schroder was the first G8 leader to arrive in Okinawa on a direct flight from Germany, followed by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and European Commission President Mr Romano Prodi. The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Yoshiro Mori, had already arrived, and the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Jean Chretien, the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Giuliano Amato, and President Jacques Chirac of France are due to reach Okinawa today.
The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy and the host Japan met earlier in Tokyo to discuss developing world debt relief with President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the Thai Prime Minister, Mr Chuan Leekpai, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria.
More than 20,000 police and Coast Guard workers were patrolling by air, sea and land to protect the G8 meeting, which cost 81.4 billion yen ($754 million) to put on.
Key issues include bridging the so-called digital divide in which some people can access the Internet and others cannot, fighting poverty, and battling the diseases of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.